Sunday 22 April 1666

(Lord’s day). Up, and put on my new black coate, long down to my knees, and with Sir W. Batten to White Hall, where all in deep mourning for the Queene’smother. There had great discourse, before the Duke and Sir W. Coventry begun the discourse of the day about the purser’s business, which I seconded, and with great liking to the Duke, whom however afterward my Lord Bruncker and Sir W. Pen did stop by some thing they said, though not much to the purpose, yet because our proposition had some appearance of certain charge to the King it was ruled that for this year we should try another the same in every respect with ours, leaving out one circumstance of allowing the pursers the victuals of all men short of the complement. I was very well satisfied with it and am contented to try it, wishing it may prove effectual. Thence away with Sir W. Batten in his coach home, in our way he telling me the certaine newes, which was afterward confirmed to me this day by several, that the Bishopp of Munster has made a league [with] the Hollanders, and that our King and Court are displeased much at it: moreover we are not sure of Sweden. I home to my house, and there dined mighty well, my poor wife and Mercer and I. So back again walked to White Hall, and there to and again in the Parke, till being in the shoemaker’s stockes. —[A cant expression for tight shoes.]— I was heartily weary, yet walked however to the Queene’s Chappell at St. James’s, and there saw a little mayde baptized; many parts and words whereof are the same with that of our Liturgy, and little that is more ceremonious than ours. Thence walked to Westminster and eat a bit of bread and drank, and so to Worster House, and there staid, and saw the Council up, and then back, walked to the Cockepitt, and there took my leave of the Duke of Albemarle, who is going to-morrow to sea. He seems mightily pleased with me, which I am glad of; but I do find infinitely my concernment in being careful to appear to the King and Duke to continue my care of his business, and to be found diligent as I used to be. Thence walked wearily as far as Fleet Streete and so there met a coach and home to supper and to bed, having sat a great while with Will Joyce, who come to see me, and it is the first time I have seen him at my house since the plague, and find him the same impertinent, prating coxcombe that ever he was.

"While passing through White Hall I was sorry to see my little Samuel Pepys, for the mourning forceing all the men to go in black, with their hair plain and without any finery, I find him to be a much more ordinary man than ever I durst have thought he was; and, indeed, is not so handsome as Mr. Batten, whom I saw there also..."

Wherein "it was ruled that for this year we should try another the same in every respect with ours, leaving out one circumstance of allowing the pursers the victuals of all men short of the complement" -- with Pepys's assent.

A lively expression for what must have been a painful and all-too-common situation, shoes not being made specifically for left or right feet at this date, but requiring use by the wearer to shape shoes to either foot.Think of the corns and blisters!

SP's original proposal gave the pursers any difference between the victualing allowance for the nominal and actual ship's crew, if that lesser than the nominal: the proposal as passed limits the pursers allowance to the actual crew number if that less than the nominal number.

The old system had been for the pursers to be paid for the number of men listed on the ships books, leading to inflation in crew numbers, but actual under-manning, with the purser pocketing the extra victualing allowance and the ship's captain the wages. For a full discussion of the old systems and the effect of SP's reform see N.A.M. Rodger 'Command of the Ocean' 2004, pp. 105-6

This may have been discussed previously and I missed it but what does Sam mean by 'poor wife'? Is he expressing sympathy, pity or condescension? Is she somehow impoverished - social graces, learning? What does this tell us about him?

"Poor wretch" is another way he describes her. I don't think he does it with (conscious)guilt but as more of a pet name. "Poor wife" seems to come up when he wants to take special notice of her labors. She seems very willing to take on any task he gives her or their life together requires (wash day, chamber pot clean-up, nightmare trips to the parents in the sticks)and I actually believe he respects that quality in her.

"shoes not being made specifically for left or right feet at this date, but requiring use by the wearer to shape shoes to either foot.Think of the corns and blisters!"

This shoes were Straigth Ray. The toe cap was made bigger than it is made today,so the shoes looked like Mickey Mouse's shoes, (or old Treasure Island ilustrations) so no corns or blisters. And no Hallux Valgus!When high heels developed this bigger toe cap became a problem because the foot would slip forward and the toes bended painfully, etc. To counter this the waist of the shoe had to be made tighter and the lacing longer. Then someone made the final jump: a left and a rigth shoe! This was very expensive because the shoemaker had to make 2 lasts instead of one.

A: Seperate 'lasts' (a last is a model of the foot used to make a shoe around) for left and right feet were first introduced in 1818 but their use didn't become widespread until the 1850's; most boots worn by soldiers inthe American Civil War were still identical left and right. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_did_%27Left%27_a...